1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an analyzation apparatus to perform an analysis simulation and its control method, and more particularly, to a display method for the apparatus and the control method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Presently, to develop high quality products at low cost and high speed, a technique for performing a virtual test on a computer before completion of the actual prototype is important. For such a virtual test, a technique for analysis simulation of structure, fluid, heat, stress and the like has been established. Further, a technique for three-dimensionally visualizing the results of these analysis simulations (hereinafter, “analysis results”) has been established. A product developer and a designer can perform a virtual test by observation of three-dimensionally visualized analysis results (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-254003).
As described above, as the technique for visualization of analysis results has been developed, there is a tradeoff between the time required for execution of the analysis simulation and the precision of the analysis result. The elaborateness of analysis conditions such as model data shape, mesh division density, mechanical characteristic, physical characteristic, chemical characteristic, temperature distribution, and analysis boundary condition are correlated with the amount of calculations. That is, upon analysis simulation, if the analysis condition is set in detail, the analysis simulation is performed on a condition closer to reality, and therefore, the precision of analysis result is high. On the other hand, as the amount of calculation is increased due to the detailed setting of the analysis condition, the calculation time is increased.
Accordingly, a user who executes an analysis simulation (hereinafter, an “analysis user”) sets an optimum analysis condition in consideration of trade-off between time and precision, and performs the analysis simulation. Next, as one of the analysis conditions, the mesh division density of model data will be described. When an analysis condition is set so as to complete analysis simulation calculation within a predetermined analysis time, it may be difficult to mesh-divide all the model data in high density. Accordingly, a region with priority may be mesh-divided in high density, while the other region may be mesh-divided in low density. In this case, the precision of analysis result is high in the high-density mesh divided region. However, it is impossible to obtain a high precision analysis result in the entire model data.
The result of analysis performed as above is observed by for example a designer who designed the model data. Hereinafter, the user who observes the analysis result will be referred to as an “observation user”. As the observation user checks only the analysis result, the observation user cannot check the analysis condition as a precondition of the analysis.
However, to perform a test with certainty, it is necessary for the observation user to check the setting status of the analysis condition which has a large influence on the precision of analysis result. More particularly, when the above-described mesh division density is used as an analysis condition, it is desirable that the observation user can check the positions of the high-density mesh-divided region and the low-density mesh-divided region in the analysis object before the user perform the test.
Further, to perform a test with higher certainty, it is also necessary for the observation user to check the entire index calculated comprehensively using all the analysis conditions, since only one analysis condition is not directly related to the precision of analysis result. For example, even in a high-density mesh-divided region, when settings of other analysis conditions are poor, the precision of analysis result in the region may be low. In the present specification, an index comprehensively calculated from all the analysis conditions used in an analysis simulation is defined as a degree of reliability. The observation user uses the degree of reliability as an index representing the precision of analysis result, thereby performs a test with higher certainty from the result of analysis simulation. Further, the observation user checks the settings of the respective analysis conditions, thereby grasps factor(s) which degrades the precision of analysis result.
However, in a general procedure of present analysis simulation, first, various analysis conditions are set by a preprocessor, then an analysis simulation is performed by an analysis simulation unit, and the analysis result is visualized by a post processor. Accordingly, the analysis user checks the analysis conditions and the degree of reliability back in the phase of the preprocessor. However, the time utility of such checking is low and the observation user cannot easily check the analysis conditions and the degree of reliability in the phase of test of the analysis result. Although a system in which the entire precision of the analysis result can be checked as a numerical value has been proposed, such numeric representation is not intuitive, and often cannot be understood by some observation user who is not an analysis expert. Further, with only the entire precision, the observation user cannot perform tests from various points such as respective regions and respective analysis conditions. That is, with the present techniques, it is difficult for the observation user to easily or intuitively check the precision of the analysis result.